Food Safety for Business

New Forest District Council has adopted the national Food Hygiene Rating Scheme (FHRS) to help local people and visitors to our area make informed choices about where to eat out or shop for food. The scheme aims to protect public health by providing information about hygiene standards in local food outlets at the time they are inspected by our food safety officers.

A good food hygiene rating is a great advertisement for your business. All food hygiene inspections of businesses selling to the end consumer are included in the scheme. Find your business' food hygiene rating.

To find out more about the scheme, how ratings are calculated, which businesses are included and excluded and how customers will know what you've been rated, see the food hygiene rating scheme page. This also includes details about the safeguards in place to ensure that the scheme is fair.

Eat Out Eat Well

Eat Out Eat Well is a scheme to reward food businesses that provide their customers with healthier eating choices. According to the Food Standards Agency, in the UK one in six meals is now consumed outside the home. The 'Eat Out, Eat Well' scheme helps consumers make healthier choices when buying takeaways or eating out at cafés, sandwich shops and restaurants. Eating more healthily is one of the simplest changes most of us can make to improve our health. Eat Out, Eat Well will encourage food businesses to make small changes such as reducing the fat, sugar and salt levels of dishes and offering other healthy options.

New Forest District Council's Food and Safety Team will give successful businesses either a bronze, silver or gold award based on the type of food on offer, cooking methods, and how healthy choices are promoted to customers.

The regulations introduce a new requirement for allergen information to be provided for foods sold non-packed or pre packed for direct sale. There is further guidance and advice available on the Food Standards Agency website

Other useful information

If you're starting up a new food business or want to improve food safety in an existing establishment, a range of useful links, publications, resources and online tools are available below to help you. These include details on providing safer food and creating a better business, which is an innovative and practical approach to food safety management.